Tamatoa's Little Shiny Treasure(Friend?)
by Lorelai1115
Summary: The ancient traditions on your island required a shiny sacrifice be made to the great Tamatoa twice a year, even though he's now residing in Lalotai. Follow the story of Aratika (Reader's name in this so I don't have to put [Y/N]) and Tamatoa as she becomes trapped in Lalotai and is forced to beg for protection from the giant, narcissistic crab. Will he learn to love his new human?
1. Chapter 1

A solemn mood had overtaken everyone as the sun set across the horizon, creating a stark contrast between the sky and the large island that was casting shadows on your canoe. There was a slight jolt as the canoe slid across shallowing waters of the beach, allowing everyone to jump off and tie it to a sizable rock so it wouldn't float away. You gathered the supplies from the canoe and lay them on a few coconut tree leaves on the sand as your sister, not by birth but by heart, put together a fire. Tairua dug out a pit in the sand with her hands and allowed Waione to start the fire before building the hangi out of smooth stones and driftwood that were collected along the beach.

Footsteps approached us quickly, accompanying a triumphant hoot as Kairaki came out of the sea with a small net full of fish. "I had to throw some back because I didn't think we would eat all of it. There are so many fish here!" He was the only one laughing, even though you tried to crack at least a small smile on his behalf. This wasn't a night for celebrating. It had become somewhat of a tradition that every six months, upon the return of islanders that were sent exploring for new resources, a few of the younger islanders would be sent to Lalotai to give the best treasure that was recovered to the great crab, Tamatoa.

A long time ago before he was banished to Lalotai, the ancestors had struck a deal with him. He would leave the humans alone and help to keep other monsters at bay as long as they agreed to offer him a sacrifice of shiny treasures twice a year. Many had argued that this could be ceased since he had been banished and therefore had no way of even keeping up his part of the bargain, but your people loved to stand with their ancestors. Traditions were very difficult to break and usually continued, thanks to the elders of the island, despite no longer making any sense.

The four of you had been chosen to make the voyage this time as you and Tairua had officially come of age and had to make a voyage in order to be considered wayfinders. Once a young man or woman turned 18 on your island, if they so wished to become a wayfinder, they were to go on a voyage with no more than 5 other islanders. You must be gone for a minimum of a week and by the time of your return, you should be able to come and go from your island with no help from others. Kairaki was slightly older than the two of you; he was an experienced fisher for the island and was chosen to accompany you so that you wouldn't starve. Waione, however, was the experienced wayfinder of the lot of you, and was there to ensure that everything went smoothly. Though he left most of the work to you and Tairua, he stepped in were it necessary.

The fish and a few vegetables that were packed were cooking on the hangi now, wrapped in the cabbage leaves to prevent burning. All of you settled into the sand around the fire that was set back behind a strand of rocks to block the harsh sea breeze and started to discuss the plans for the following morning. Traversing the walls of the entrance to Lalotai at night was a very dangerous and almost impossible feat so the plan was to sleep through the night, taking watch shifts, and setting off at first light.

"Waione, you packed the ladder and ropes, right?" you turned to him and he nodded. "We wouldn't be here, had I not. We need our means of getting in and out, don't we?" He chuckled slightly at your foolishness. This wasn't his first go around, but you were rather nervous as you had been chosen to accompany him into the depths of Lalotai. Tairua was terrified of heights, so she opted to stay with the canoe and Kairaki was to stay at the top of the mountain to help pull you back up out of the realm of monsters.

After the food had finished cooking, Waione offered to take first watch as the rest of you made pillows out of a bit of extra fabric and lay down in beds you had made from the soft sand. The mountain may look harsh and unforgiving, but at least the sand was soft and free of debris and pebbles.

Morning came much sooner than anyone had expected and you were surprised when you were woken up without taking a watch shift. Tairua smiled at you and mentioned that she figured you needed the sleep and she didn't as you had been tossing and turning in your sleep. Of course you had been. You were having a nightmare of a giant crab chasing you and using his giant claws to snap you in half! You shake your head and brush the sand off of you, tying your hair back. The two guys were already at the base of the mountain waiting on you.

"Aratika!" You turned when you heard your name as Tairua grabbed the back of your neck and pressed your foreheads and noses together. "Good luck, tuahine." You smiled at her and nodded, heading over to start your ascent up the mountain. Grabbing hold of the first notch, you pulled yourself up, ensuring you had enough room for your feet and that it was sturdy enough to support your weight before continuing on. The climb took about an hour since the three of you had to back track several times as the direction you were heading wasn't durable enough. With you in front, you were a little nervous about accidentally kicking dust into the eyes of Waione who was directly below you, but he never complained and encouraged you the whole time.

'Had Kairaki been behind me, he would definitely be making a few rude comments. I guess that's just one of the reasons why Waione is so dreamy.' You can imagine you're in Waione's arms with his hand gently lifting your chin so he can look you in the eyes as he presses his firm, yet soft lips against yours. Suddenly your foot slips off of the tiny ledge you were climbing up onto, scraping your shin and causing you to be ripped from your wonderful daydream as you clamber up the last few steps onto the top of the mountain.

"What happened? Are you alright?" Waione jumps up after you and grabs your ankle, directing your leg onto his lap. You shake your head and use your knife to slice off part of the bottom of your skirt to use, which Waione takes and gently bandages your shin while scolding you for not being more careful. "Serves her right, to be honest. If she weren't so dense, maybe she could do something right all the way to the end." You heard Kairaki before you saw his hands appear on the top of the mountain, pulling him up. "You got blood on the mountain, by the way, so thanks for making it even more slippery." You scowled at him and let Waione pull you to your feet as Kairaki started the chant that was needed to access Lalotai. Waione pulled the ropes and ladder off of the makeshift backpack he had created and started to tie the ends to a few sturdy rocks off to the side.

The mountain began to shake as a hole appeared in the center of the platform and the ladder fell into the darkness. "Ok, Ara. We're going to be climbing for a while. It's pretty far down, but it's an easy descent. About a fourth of the way down, we'll find ourselves in water that will take us into Lalotai. There is a bit of a fall from the bottom of the sea to the ground underneath, so I will be going forth to ensure that you land alright on that leg of yours." Waione said as he tied the rope around your waist and shoulders, then to his own. You were to be tied together so that if one of you were to slip, the other could hold your weight as you made your way back to the ladder.

Thankfully, since there was actually a ladder this time, the way down into Lalotai was rather uneventful, if not very dark. As was expected, you slipped into the water. It was pleasantly cool as you had worked up quite a sweat from all of the climbing you had done in the last few hours. As if by magic, you were pulled down farther into the water like it knew where you were headed. Just as your lungs were starting to burn for oxygen, you emerged from the water and fell through the air right onto a bed of fallen leaves from the trees that were growing...under water? You looked back up to see that the water stopped far above the top of the trees but you just shook your head. You were already growing to expect the strange and abnormal from this place.

Waione smiled at you and took your hand, holding a finger to his mouth to indicate you should remain silent as he led you down a pathway under the trees along the side of what seemed to be a stack of coral and giant shells. As you reached the bottom, you were able to see the surrounding area more and more clearly because a blinding light seemed to be emanating from a giant shell at the bottom of the odd stack. Reflected light from...something..that was moving inside of the shell was glinting off of scattered pieces of gold around the sand where the two of you stood and a soft humming came from inside. You looked over at your partner and was surprised to see how on edge he was. Waione was always one that wore a smile as if he thought he could deter any tension around others by smiling at them, which wasn't false. Everyone seemed to love being around him for that reason, including most of the young, single women on your island.

But now his look was stern and filled with attentiveness as he led you into the mouth of the giant shell. A loud clicking filled your ears as a 50 foot crab turned to look at both of you. "Tamatoa." Waione stepped ahead of you, letting go of your hand and reaching behind him for our most recent discovery. "I have traversed the sea with my companion to bring you our offering. I can only hope that you are pleased with it." The giant crab was over on your side of his cave-like shell in a matter of three or four steps, requesting that the gift be unwrapped. Waione did as he was asked, pulling the cloth off of a massive, battered fish hook. The crab's eyes widened in surprised and knocked Waione out of the way as he gently picked the hook from the ground, giggling euphorically and taking it over to a large pile of golden objects and coins off to the side of his cave. "I can honestly say this is the best treasure thus far, humans. Good job not being completely useless." You look at Waione questioningly, wondering why he was making such a big deal over a giant fish hook.

Tamatoa glanced over at you with one of his eyes, keeping the other on the hook. "The demigod Maui's magic fish hook will be a great addition to my shiny collection."

 **Note :**

Kairaki - sky eater

Tairua - two tides

Waione - stream on the beach

Aratika - direct path

Hangi - traditional maori means of cooking

Hakari - feast

tuahine - sister


	2. 2-Captive

"The demigod Maui's magic fishhook will be a great addition to my shiny collection." The words rang through the cave loud and clear, but you still had a hard time believing them. Maui? The demigod? That was just a tale that parents tell their children so they have some type of fantasy to look up to, right? Ungracefully, you snort out a burst of laughter that caused both of the other occupants in the cave to look at you incredulously. "Yeah, right." You waved your hand. "That's probably just something that someone, somewhere, made as a toy."

Out of nowhere, a hand covered your mouth, as another started to lead you out of the cave. "Please excuse her impudence, Great Tamatoa." Waione said clear and concise. "She has always been very critical of things she cannot or has not seen with her own eyes. If this is to your liking, then we will be taking our leave now, so she doesn't offend you anymore than she has already done so."

Tamatoa eyed you in what could only be described as disgust as he pointed at you with his huge claw. "This very hook is the reason that I'm missing part of a leg, dull human, so you can believe the stories your parents told you." Waione apologized for your behavior again and made you bow slightly to the crab as he did so, as well.

You were fuming but you knew it best to keep your mouth shut. How dare he treat you like you were just a nuisance! Waione was going to get a good reaming on the climb back up the ladder. True, he was probably right, but it didn't make you any less upset; if anything, that's what made you even more agitated. Only when you were both out of the cave did he finally let go of you, staring pointedly ahead in a manner that said 'I'll deal with you later', which silenced you.

"Waione…I'm s…" You started to say, but were cut short by a loud screeching that came from high above both of you. Waione grabbed your forearm painfully tight and pulled you down into some nearby shrubbery, putting a finger to his lips to shush you. He was ducking into the shrubs beside you, but his overall size was significantly larger than yours and caused the plants to part and make a hole that clearly showed where he was if you were looking. The shrieking grew louder and time seemed to come to a halt as Waione was abruptly being lifted out of the plants and into the air by a giant winged bat like creature!

"WAIONE!" You grabbed onto his leg, causing the winged creature to falter before pumping its wings harder and managing to lift you from the ground as well. If only you had been a bit stronger or heavier or bigger or….

"TAMATOAAAAA!" You bellowed in the direction of the cave, ignoring Waione's protests. Thunderous footsteps echoed from the cave as he came bolting out to see what all of the ruckus was that was disrupting his attempts at finding a good spot for his new treasure. Initially, he scoffed and turned back into his cave because why would he help two puny humans who meant nothing to him? Such were the ways of Lalotai. Eat or be eaten.

"Tamatoa, please! If we don't return then our people will stop bringing you treasure!" This seemed to dawn on him right as the words were leaving your lips because soon you were falling to the ground and the bat creature was completely snapped in two by Tamatoa's giant claw. Both you and Waione landed with a roll as the pieces of the now dead creature were picked up and eaten by the crab who then glanced down at both of you to be sure of your survival.

You were shaking from fear and adrenaline but you hoped it didn't reach your voice. "T-Thank you, T-Tamatoa. We couldn't have escaped without you. I will ask the elders to increase your treasure load upon the next visit." A giant claw pushed you to your feet and wrapped around your waist, lifting you into the air and closer to his face.

"How can I even be certain that you will return the next time after what just happened?" His eye darted down to your injured leg. "Really? You come here to my fabulous home looking like a drab, broken piece and expect to NOT be attacked by every blood thirsty monster in Lalotai? You're a rather dense human, huh?" He glanced at Waione, back to you, then back to Waione.

"You seem to be the more rationally minded one. You can tell your island people that I will be keeping this one. When you come back with double the amount of treasure than usual you'll get her back in one piece….more or less." He smirked and turned to go back into his cave, a flabbergasted Waione left outside before he slowly made his way back up to the exit of Lalotai. He had to get back. The faster he got back, the faster they could return with more treasure to appease this vile creature who just took a human sacrifice...and it wasn't just any 'human' that Tamatoa had taken. You were the one Waione had been hoping to marry. He was definitely going to fix this. ' _Hang on, Aratika. I promise I will return swiftly.'_

You were thrown, carelessly, into a plant that had grown from the cave floor in the formation of a type of cage. The ground was soft, which made your landing easy, but being tossed around like a doll was still painful and had its disadvantages with a hurt leg. You sat on a large patch of moss and pulled the wrappings up a smidge so you could see that the landing had caused it to start bleeding again. "You're making my home reek, human, do something about it." Tamatoa was in the center of the cave, moving some of the gold around on his shell to find a home for his new hook.

"Hey! You can't keep me here! Why did you kidnap me?!" You rush over to the bar like side of your cage, peering out at him in rage, but he ignored you, finally managing to get the hook stuck in the treasure on his shell. Smiling triumphantly, he set about adorning the hook with coin pieces. How he managed to hold tiny gold pieces with his claws was beyond you. "I'm talking to you! Hello?" If he wasn't going to talk to you, then you were just going to talk until he did.

"Hey! You stupid giant crab! Stop ignoring me! I'm talking to you, you overgrown, tacky shipwreck!" Tamatoa snapped his claw at you and picked you up by your hips again. You were being lifted out of your cage and squeezed, way too tightly, by his giant claw as his furrowed eyes scowled at you. The image of the winged bat creature being snapped in two was brought to mind as you looked up into the crab's face. "Do you care to repeat that, human? Or shall I just eat you now. I don't care if you return to your people or not. If they try to avenge your death, I'll just eat them, too."

Maybe you shouldn't have opened your big mouth and stuck your foot in…. Terrified, you stuttered while asking that he put you down, or loosen his grip on you, since it was hurting and causing your legs to feel numb. Smirking he threw you back into your cage and you were almost happy for that outcome. Better than being squeezed to death, right? You sighed and apologized for upsetting him; he didn't even comment on how you didn't apologize that you actually said your snarky insults.

"Human, you can either be grouchy the entire time you're my prisoner or you can attempt to make the best of it. I won't be bad company if you aren't. Anyone would be honored to be in my presence for an extended amount of time because of how fabulous I am." Tamatoa shrugged and lay down in the rays of sun that came through an opening in the ceiling. You had no idea how the sun managed to come all the way down to the bottom of the sea, but the feelings of jealousy that arose as he warmed himself in the rays as you sat in the dark and cold of your cage were overwhelming. Were you ever going to see the sun, or better yet, your people again?


	3. 3-Apologies

Kairaki grunted as he grabbed Waione's hand and helped him climb up the last few steps of the ladder before turning to extend his hand to help you up as well. He shot Waione a puzzled look as he started to roll the ladder up and fasten it into a pack he could wear back down the face of the mountain. "Waione….Where….?" But Waione just shook his head, saying he will explain once they have returned to Tairua and began his descent.

The journey down the mountain didn't seem to take nearly as long as it had when the three of them were travelling up. Perhaps it had something to do with Waione's mind being troubled and preoccupied this go around, or the fact that he was leading the way and had done this several times so far. Neither of those things were preparing him for telling his two friends about what happened, however, because the moment Kairaki stepped off of the mountain, he and Tairua were animatedly asking where you were. Graciously accepting the water that Tairua offered, Waione took a few sips before passing it to Kairaki and sighed, sitting on a flat rock near where they were standing and resting his forehead in his hands.

"He kept her…." He started to say, silencing both of the others with a fierce glare when they began to question him. "A bat creature attacked us on our way out. I would have surely been eaten by it if Ara hadn't stepped up…. She appealed to Tamatoa's love for shiny things and offered double the treasure next time we come if he helped us get free from the monster… Then, as leverage to ensure we come back...He...kept her…" Tears were forming in the corners of his eyes, which he angrily wiped away with the back of his hand. "We have to get her back. She's in the realm of MONSTERS, for Ta'aroa's sake. She doesn't belong there." Kairaki sat down next to his friend and sighed, as well. "The chief won't go for that…" He stated quietly.

"We were lucky just to get rid of the hook this go around. You know how he wanted to keep it. If it weren't for the elders' superstitions about keeping such a powerful item, then we would've been offering up baskets full of gold and jewels again." Kairaki leaned his head back to glower up at the clouds that were lazily passing over the sun as if nothing was wrong in the world. "It should have been me…." Waione's muffled, quavering voice came from behind his hands.

"I know how we can get the treasure." Tairua, who had been oddly quiet this entire time, finally spoke up, causing the others to look up at her expectantly. "The chief's son has been after my hand in marriage; I've told him no every time up until now, because of my feelings for you, Kairaki. But let's be real, you like Aratika." She laughed in a bitter, almost disparaging and self deprecating way. Waione glanced up at Kairaki, slightly taken aback by this new development. By the way Kairaki treated you, no one would ever guess his true feelings. Kairaki scratched the back of his head and shrugged, mumbling an apology.

"He's not a bad guy." Tairua smiled down at the others. "Let's head home. I'll talk with the chief and we can arrange all of the details. I will not wait six months to save her, so hopefully we can move this along quickly." With that, she headed back to the little camp they had set up and packed the rest of their supplies that were still laying around into the canoe with the boys directly behind her. Every moment that they left their friend in Lalotai was already an hour too long.

You had somehow managed to fall into fitful sleep while laying in your new cage as you were watching the giant crab fiddle around with the giant pile of treasure that was in his cave, adorning his shell with even more things. You probably would have slept better had your cage been in the warm light, but with the light barely touching it, you found yourself shivering in no time. Your teeth chattered softly against each other as you sat up and brushed a few stray pieces of gold flakes off of your hair and skin that had somehow settled there while you slept. It had probably happened while Tamatoa was digging through his treasures. With such large claws and such tiny gold pieces, it was a wonder that more didn't get crushed, from your point of view. How did he manage to be so delicate with them despite the size difference?

You crawled over to the side closest to him and watched him through the bars, wrapping your arms around them. There was nothing to entertain you in your cage, so you figured you'd try and find some amusement in what he was doing. One of his eyes glanced over at you before going back to digging through his pile. "Good morning, human."

"How long was I out?" You rub your eye gently, adjusting to the general brightness that seemed to surround him. He shrugs as best as a coconut crab could and said something about a few hours dependent on the location of the sun. You hummed a short response and rested your head against one of the bars, trying to see what all was on the back of his shell. You noticed all of the gold and jewels, obviously, but there was also a gold covered boat, giant, intricately designed horns that were adorned with jewels, golden wheels, humongous pearls, and all sorts of other trinkets. There in the middle, sitting at the very top of his shell was the hook that Waione and you had delivered here earlier that day.

"It looks nice there." You commented, pointing up at the hook. "It really compliments the rest of your shell. It looks good." This time, Tamatoa turned both of his eyes to you, his selective digging ceasing as he looked over at your shivering frame. He sighed and put the trinkets he had in his claws down and walked over to you, gently wrapping his claw around your hips and carrying you to the sun while grinning widely. "Isn't it just fabulous!" He gushed. "It adds a whole new level to my glamor! Oh, sit there. You'll warm up soon." He went back to looking through the pile, a smile on his face. He was right, though, because the gold you were sitting on was toasty warm and you soon had that warm, fuzzy feeling one gets from sitting in the sun for a while. "This hook really surprised me. I had never expected it to come into my possession. I had heard that he lost his hook after trying to fight Te Ká but I expected it to just be rumors." He turned to look at you again.

You smiled softly up at him and lay back on the gold, revelling in the warmth. No wonder he liked it here so much; the cave was gorgeous with all of the treasure and plant life growing in it and the sun that came through in this spot was to die for. Which, you hoped, you wouldn't be doing as long as you stayed around the crab. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier…" You glanced at him before closing your eyes, figuring you'd be able to say what you wanted easier if you didn't have to look at him. After all, it was in your best interest to get along with your new captor so that he would protect you from all of the potential dangers. You weren't happy with your situation by any means, but at least you weren't in any danger for the time being. "I was out of line when I said you looked like a tacky shipwreck. I really don't think that. I just wanted to get a reaction out of you because I was upset." You sighed and looked up at his raised eyebrows.

"Why are you suddenly being nice?" He smirked at you. "Did you knock your head when I threw you in the cage earlier? Or did beholding my beautiful self while in your dank little cage make you fall in love with me?" Snickering slightly, you sat back up and said what you had just been thinking. You'd rather have a decent time out of this then be in constant fear for your life. "I don't particularly like you, if anything, I probably still dislike you quite a bit for keeping me here against my will. But I don't see why we can't get along to some degree." You rationalized to him before standing up and sliding down the heap of gold you were on. "So what are you looking for? I can help if you like now that I'm not freezing my butt off."


End file.
